In Which Type of Society Is Descent Traced Through the Female Side of the Family

Descent Principles: Part i

Kinship is reckoned in a number of unlike ways around the world, resulting in a variety of types of descent patterns and kin groups.  Anthropologists ofttimes use diagrams to illustrate kinship relationships to make them more understandable.  The symbols shown here are usually employed.  They may be combined, equally in the example below on the correct, to stand for a family unit consisting of a married couple and their children.

In kinship diagrams, one individual is usually labeled as ego .  This is the person to whom all kinship relationships are referred.   In the case below on the correct, ego has a blood brother (Br), sister (Si), father (Fa), and mother (Mo).  Note also that ego is shown as being gender nonspecific--that is, either male or female.

Unilineal Descent

Most cultures severely limit the range of people through whom descent is traced past using a unilineal descent principle.  This traces descent but through a unmarried line of ancestors, male or female.  Both males and females are members of a unilineal family, but descent links are only recognized through relatives of one gender.  The ii basic forms of unilineal descent are referred to as patrilineal and matrilineal .

With patrilineal descent , both males and females vest to their father'southward kin group simply not their mother's.  However, but males laissez passer on their family identity to their children.  A adult female's children are members of her married man's patrilineal line.  The red people in the diagram below are related to each other patrilineally.

The form of unilineal descent that follows a female line is known as matrilineal .  When using this pattern, individuals are relatives if they can trace descent through females to the same female person antecedent.  While both male and female children are members of their mother's matrilineal descent group, merely daughters can pass on the family unit line to their offspring.  The green people beneath are related to each other matrilineally.

In societies using matrilineal descent, the social human relationship betwixt children and their biological father tends to be different than well-nigh people would look due to the fact that he is non a member of their matrilineal family.  In the case of ego beneath, the man who would have the formal responsibilities that European cultures assign to a begetter would be his mother's brother (MoBr), since he is the closest elder male kinsmen.  Ego'southward father would have the same kind of responsibilities for his sister's children.

Inheritance patterns for men in matrilineal societies also oft reflect the importance of the mother'due south brother.  For case, in the Ashanti Kingdom of Central Ghana, a king traditionally passes his title and status on to his sister's son.  A king's ain biological son does not inherit the kingship because he is not a member of the ruling matrilineal family group.  Women usually inherit condition and belongings directly from their mothers in matrilineal societies.

Unilineal descent has been found well-nigh unremarkably, but not exclusively, among materially rich foragers, small-scale-scale farmers, and nomadic pastoralists .  The common factors for these types of societies are minor populations that commonly have more than adequate food supplies.   Until the early 20th century, approximately 60% of all societies traced descent unilineally.  Since then, many of these societies take disappeared or accept been absorbed past larger societies that follow other rules of descent.

Cognatic Descent

At least twoscore% of the societies effectually the world today trace descent through both the mother's and the begetter's ancestors to some degree.  They follow one of several nonunilineal or cognatic descent principles.  The consequence is normally more varied and complex family systems than are plant in societies with patrilineal or matrilineal descent patterns.  Cognatic descent is known to occur in four variations: bilineal, ambilineal, parallel, and bilateral descent.  Past far the nigh mutual pattern is bilateral descent, which is commonly used in European cultures.  It is described in the side by side department of this tutorial.

When both patrilineal and matrilineal descent principles are combined, the consequence is the bilineal , or double, descent design shown below.  With this rare hybrid system, every individual is a fellow member of his or her mother's matrilineage and male parent's patrilineage .

As a result, everyone, except siblings , potentially have a unique combination of ii unilineal family lines, as shown in the diagram below.  Note that parents only share either their children's matrilineal line or patrilineal line of descent.

The Y�ko of southeastern Nigeria are an example of a society with bilineal descent.  Their of import portable holding, including livestock and money, are inherited matrilineally.  Fixed belongings, such as farm plots, pass downwards through the patrilinal line every bit do rights to trees and other forest products.   It is not surprising that they have patrilineally inherited obligations to cooperate in cultivating their fields.  Obligations to perform funerals and pay bride cost for sons are inherited through the matrilineal line.

The Toda of southern India also follow bilineal descent.  Their holding is inherited patrilineally and ritualistic privileges related to funerals are inherited matrilineally.

A similarly rare combination of unilineal descent patterns is known every bit parallel descent .  With this system, men trace their ancestry through male person lines and women trace theirs through female lines.  Dissimilar bilineal descent, each individual is a member of only i descent group.

Ambilineal descent   is yet another unusual descent organization that, in a sense, combines unilineal patterns.  Descent from either males or females is recognized, just individuals may select merely one line to trace descent.  Since each generation can choose which parent to trace descent through, a family unit line may be patrilineal in one generation and matrilineal in the next.

The reason for choosing one side over the other often has to practise with the relative importance of each family.  In other words, ambilineal descent is flexible in that it allows people to adjust to changing family situations.   For instance, when a man marries a adult female from a politically or economically more important family, he may concur to let his children identify with their female parent'southward family line to raise their prospects and standing inside the club.

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This folio was last updated on Tuesday, June 27, 2006 .
Copyright � 1997-2006 past Dennis O'Neil. All rights reserved.
Illustration credits

vickersduchou1963.blogspot.com

Source: https://www2.palomar.edu/anthro/kinship/kinship_2.htm

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